TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Local Homes Are Touring Treasures

ADVERTISEMENT

By JENNIFER YEADON jyeadon@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 27, 2009

Two years of renovating their historic Gulfport home have made Gail and Robert Wilson, and their house, a neighborhood attraction. Bordered by a white picket fence and new landscaping, the two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath home has undergone enough changes to shock the neighbors - in a good way.

Visitors can explore the Wilsons' home during the Pink Flamingo Home Tour on Saturday. It's the first of two beach neighborhood home tours planned this month. The second is in Pass-A-Grille.

The Wilsons don't have a full accounting of their house's history because the records were destroyed in a fire in the 1920s. They think the land was purchased in 1906, when Gulfport was known as Veteran City, and the house completed sometime around 1910.

The couple kept the home's original floors, walls and some of the glass and doors. Problems arose when they found the foundation had sunk over time, making some of the windows lopsided. They added a few modern touches, expanding the kitchen and installing granite countertops.

The Pink Flamingo tour, sponsored by the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce, includes 12 old and new homes. The theme, Then and Now, showcases residents' efforts to fix up older homes and show off new ones. Also on display are two inns, the Sea Breeze Manor and Peninsula Inn and Spa, and the Gulfport Museum, which dates back to 1913.

The tour is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; visitors can walk or ride a free trolley. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased the day of the event at the museum, 5301 28th Ave. S., where they'll receive a map of all the stops. (Call (727) 347-4747 or email dtickell@tampabay.rr.com.)

Since Gulfport is such a creative city, it wouldn't be right to have a tour without a little art. The work of several local artists will be on display in the houses, and some of the homes feature indoor and outdoor wall murals.

About two weeks later and three miles south of Gulfport, five residents of Pass-A-Grille will welcome the public into their homes during the Pass-A-Grille Home Tour. The event is from 1 to 5 p.m. March 22.

Visitors will get to see John and Pam McMasters' beachfront property, which has been in the family for three generations. John's grandfather bought the land in 1930 and built a cottage, which was later loaded onto a trailer and moved into the city. His parents built the current two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home in 1977.

After touring the homes, visitors can attend the free Spring Art Festival by the Suntan Art Center in Hurley Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The home tour is sponsored by the Pass-A-Grille Women's Club, which donates the proceeds to charity each year. This year's beneficiaries are Support Our Troops, Community Action Stops Abuse and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They will also sell their new cookbook "Bon Appetit a la Grille 2" at their clubhouse.

Tickets are $22 by mail or $20 at the these locations: Paradiso, 104 Eighth Ave., St. Pete Beach, (727) 363-8831; Nancy Markoe Gallery, 3112 Pass-A-Grille Way, St. Pete Beach, (727) 360-0729; Tropic-Al, Dolphin Village, St. Pete Beach, (727) 367-7014; Simply Perfect, 339 Corey Ave., St. Pete Beach, (727) 360-4141; Blue Sky Boutique, 425 Corey Ave., St. Pete Beach.

Tickets are sold the day of the event but tend to sell out quickly. For information, call (727) 322-3050.

Reporter Jennifer Yeadon can be reached at (813) 259-7600.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT